Cynthia Clay's Blog

The Virtual Leader's Style and Conflict in the Virtual Workplace

Wednesday, November 4, 2020

In the 1960s, Douglas McGregor, a professor at MIT's Sloan School of Management, put forth two theories of management. Theory X managers assume that employees have an inherent dislike of work and need to be managed closely to achieve productivity and high performance. He called this style of management "authoritarian." Theory Y managers believe that employees are internally motivated and want to contribute at work, without the need for close supervision. He called this style of management "participative."

Theory X and Theory Y, freshly applied to the virtual workplace, lead to interesting discussions about the nature of virtual leadership. Do virtual workers require closer supervision because the remote leader can no longer see what they're up to? A remote leader with these beliefs might make the mistake of micromanaging, checking up on their remote teams, and requiring unnecessary checkpoints and extraneous communication. In our research, this is one of the most annoying aspects of working virtually for many employees who find constant micromanagement to be demotivating.

Do virtual workers require little or no supervision, preferring instead to manage their priorities and their time without the manager's input? A remote leader with Theory Y beliefs might make the mistake of providing little structure and support, instead leaving their remote workers to feel as if they must "sink or swim." Virtual workers report that the feeling of being abandoned and the lack of visibility are also demotivating.

In both of these examples, managers may be making assumptions about what their virtual workers want and need to be successful. Micromanagement might be an extreme form of a Theory X (authoritarian) management style, while abandonment might be an extreme form of a Theory Y (participative) management style. In both cases, virtual leaders might not be meeting the external (environmental) needs or the internal (motivational) needs of their remote employees.

When I reflect on my own tendencies as the leader of a virtual company, I realize that I sometimes swing between these two extremes, micromanaging at times, and leaving people to "sink or swim" at times when I'm feeling swamped. I need to remind myself often that people who are working virtually require both structure and autonomy. As a virtual leader, I must make sure my expectations are clear and also allow people the freedom to succeed with my positive support and feedback. As I pay attention to my leadership style, I can take ownership of my impact on the talented people who work with me. That, in turn, helps to reduce misunderstandings, disagreements, and conflict.

NetSpeed Learning Solutions offers two engaging programs for leaders and teams that address these issues: the Virtual Leader program and Managing Workplace Conflict.

Posted by Cynthia Clay at 10:28 am